The Average Joe

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

NEW: Since October 2023, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit has released dozens of 3D animations illustrating alleged Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iranian sites The style is unmistakable: satellite zoom-ins, black & white wireframes, and red-textured houses - a new visual language of war.Our analysis of 43 official IDF videos found recycled 3D environments, spatial inaccuracies, and assets lifted from unrelated artists and institutions.We traced over 30 unique assets to Washington-based 3D creator Ian Hubert, who makes bespoke models created for his sci-fi project Dynamo Dream, available to his Patreon subscribers. Models of parking lots, antennas, + pipes were repurposed as Hamas and Iranian military sites

@evanhill · 11m Fascinating work here tracing how the IDF recycled 3D assets from a cyberpunk sci-fi art project, the Scottish Maritime Museum and elsewhere to populate its widely-seen models of supposed enemy locations in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. One of the most infamous, the alleged underground Hamas command center at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, used to justify an unprecedented assault on the biggest medical center in Gaza, was actually an animation the IDF had used the previous year, saying at the time it was a tunnel beneath a UN school.

Losing my mind and what look like video game assets but instead were used to justify war crimes and genocide in the real world

MAGA 3 days ago: Chicago is about to find out the meaning of WAR

MAGA today: the left needs to stop condoning violence

And the U.S. is unsurprisingly not one of the regions where you can.

Mass amounts of debris streaking through the sky as a result of the January 2025 explosion of a SpaceX Starship rocket

“SpaceX Engineers will make air traffic safer”

its also exactly what Elon did after being called out for antisemitism.

How widespread is post-fire rent gouging? These volunteer sleuths analyzed the data Here’s what “The Rent Brigade” found after combing through 1,343 Zillow posts that appear to have broken California’s ban on post-fire price gouging.

Homes in L.A. were still smoldering when Zillow rents started to spike.

Volunteer rent gouging sleuths quickly started tracking the data. They found 1,343 listings that appear to have broken the law.

My @laist.com story is the first to report on their findings.

I ordinarily disdain the way we analogise politics to interpersonal relationships or import therapy-speak where it doesn't belong, but... this is entirely spot-on. This is a moment where the dynamic is absolutely the same.

Complying in advance will not make you safe.

How do autocrats stay in power?

Our new research dives into the strategies of political control—repression, co-optation, and indoctrination—used across 229 autocracies from 1946 to 2010. What we found will change the way you think about authoritarian resilience. 🧵👇

This shit is why it’s always so bizarre to me that liberals think law will be enough to protect them. The entire US police force is full of HEAVILY radicalized bigots who want the ability to kill with impunity.

Well, these husks of human beings do have hired guns already, so maybe they're itching for it?

I have to say that the fact that the people destroying the country are such fucking morons kind of stings.

I know there are at least a few of you here

Your annual reminder to donate to archive.org

If I'm ordering, egg drop. If I'm waiting for my food and they offer free soup, hot and sour.

A new WA effort to help save local journalism A new proposal in Washington's Legislature could save hundreds of not thousands of local journalism jobs.

Our democracy depends on a free press. Local journalism is an invaluable tool for transparency and accountability of public institutions and it helps build and strengthen our communities. In too many places, local news outlets are withering and dying off. I’ve got legislation to change that.

100% if you can, do it.

"G.M. monitored and sold people’s precise geolocation data and driver behavior information, sometimes as often as every three seconds,” Lina M. Khan, chair of the F.T.C. “With this action, the F.T.C. is safeguarding Americans’ privacy and protecting people from unchecked surveillance.”

AI is a tool to fuck labor, exhibit number whatever

I have to wonder how many more companies will bend the knee in this sort of fashion going forward.

Periodic reminder:

The civil rights era never ended.

You are still in it.

You don't have to wonder about what you would have done "Back then." You can just look at what you are doing now.

Rule 1:
You can say whatever you want, as long as what you say is not a threat to national security.

Rule 2:
Peacefully unifying the Black people, white people, indigenous people, asian people, and latiné people, that want to reduce racism? Is considered a threat to national security.🤡

Tips and Tricks for Bluesky Search - Bluesky Let’s dive into all the tips and tricks for advanced Bluesky search!

✨ Bluesky search tips and tricks

Add `from:me` to find your own posts

Add `to:me` to find replies/posts that mention you

Add `since:YYYY-MM-DD` and/or `until:YYYY-MM-DD` to specify a date range

Add `domain:theonion.com` to find posts linking to The Onion

See more at
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Get more from Mike Kasprzak on Patreon creating Ludum Dare, videos, and more

Ludum Dare really is one of the more common pathways early indie game devs follow in this industry - a free, forgiving, community-focused event that also spotlights incredible work.

If you can, support Mike to help ensure LD can run in 2025 too. We shouldn't lose this.

www.patreon.com/mikekasprzak

So AI is just going to become more of a stream of unfiltered waste than it already is?

Dear Target...

bob hope understood something a lot of people still can't reconcile: apologizing is actually really easy and you can do it as much as you want

It is notable because Hegseth's lawyers threatened to sue them if the testify, having outed whistleblowers, and Senators refused to meet with them privately.

Not only the first but ONLY Hollywood union that has ever said anything about Gaza. They also don't make a lot of money. I know people feel hesitant to give to Hollywood folks (I understand) but animators deserve your support